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The Structure of DNA All life on earth uses a chemical called DNA to carry its genetic code or blueprint. In this lesson we be examining the structure of this unique molecule. {Point out the alligator’s eyes in the first picture.} By the way, can you make out what this is? *************************************************************** [The goal of this presentation is to introduce high school biology students to the chemical structure of DNA. It is meant to be presented in the classroom while accompanying the teacher’s lecture, under the control of the teacher.] Ms. Grube

DNA DNA is often called the blueprint of life. In simple terms, DNA contains the instructions for making proteins within the cell. Why is DNA called the blueprint of life?

Why do we study DNA? We study DNA for many reasons, e.g., its central importance to all life on Earth, medical benefits such as cures for diseases, better food crops. About better food crops, this area is controversial. There is a Dr. Charles Arntzen who is working on bioengineering foods with vaccines in them. People in poor countries could be immunized against diseases just by eating a banana, for instance.

Chromosomes and DNA Our genes are on our chromosomes. Chromosomes are made up of a chemical called DNA. {Ask students where the chromosomes are in this picture. Or ask them where the DNA is. Remind them that the mitochondria also have DNA.}

The Shape of the Molecule DNA is a very long polymer. The basic shape is like a twisted ladder or zipper. This is called a double helix. {Show students a model of the double helix. Explain what a spiral is and a helix is.}

The Double Helix Molecule The DNA double helix has two strands twisted together. (In the rest of this unit we will look at the structure of one strand.) We will take apart the DNA molecule to see how it is put together. First, we will look at one strand.

One Strand of DNA The backbone of the molecule is alternating phosphate and deoxyribose, a sugar, parts. The teeth are nitrogenous bases. phosphate deoxyribose {Point to the 3-D mode, if you have one, to show the parts as you discuss them.} bases

One Strand of DNA One strand of DNA is a polymer of nucleotides. One strand of DNA has many millions of nucleotides. {Point to the 3-D mode, if you have one, to show the parts as you discuss them.}

Four nitrogenous bases DNA has four different bases: Cytosine C Thymine T Adenine A Guanine G These four bases are abbreviated by using their respective first letters.

Two Kinds of Bases in DNA Pyrimidines are single ring bases. Purines are double ring bases. N C O C C N C C N

Thymine and Cytosine are pyrimidines Thymine and cytosine each have one ring of carbon and nitrogen atoms. C N O cytosine C N O thymine

Adenine and Guanine are purines Adenine and guanine each have two rings of carbon and nitrogen atoms. C N O Guanine C N Adenine

Two Stranded DNA Remember, DNA has two strands that fit together something like a zipper. The teeth are the nitrogenous bases but why do they stick together? {Point to the 3-D model to show the parts as you discuss them.}

Hydrogen Bonds The bases attract each other because of hydrogen bonds. Hydrogen bonds are weak but there are millions and millions of them in a single molecule of DNA. (The bonds between cytosine and guanine are shown here.)

Hydrogen Bonds, cont. C N O When making hydrogen bonds, cytosine always pairs up with guanine, And adenine always pairs up with thymine. (Adenine and thymine are shown here.)

Important: Adenine and Thymine always join together A T Cytosine and Guanine always join together C G

DNA by the numbers Each cell has about 2 m of DNA. The average human has 75 trillion cells. The average human has enough DNA to go from the earth to the sun more than 400 times. DNA has a diameter of only 0.000000002 m. The earth is 150 billion m or 93 million miles from the sun. If you unravel all the DNA in the chromosomes of one of your cells, it would stretch out 2 meters. If you did this to the DNA in all your cells, it would stretch from here to sun more than 400 hundred times!

A HISTORY OF DNA SEE p. 292-293 Discovery of the DNA double helix A. Frederick Griffith – Discovers that a factor in diseased bacteria can transform harmless bacteria into deadly bacteria (1928) B. Rosalind Franklin - X-ray photo of DNA. (1952) C. Watson and Crick - described the DNA molecule from Franklin’s X-ray. (1953)

Watson & Crick proposed… DNA had specific pairing between the nitrogen bases: ADENINE – THYMINE CYTOSINE - GUANINE DNA was made of 2 long stands of nucleotides arranged in a specific way called the “Complementary Rule”

RNA

RNA differs from DNA 1. RNA has a sugar ribose DNA has a sugar deoxyribose 2. RNA contains uracil (U) DNA has thymine (T) 3. RNA molecule is single-stranded DNA is double-stranded

Types of RNA Three types of RNA: A. messenger RNA (mRNA) B. transfer RNA (tRNA) C. ribosome RNA (rRNA) Remember: all produced in the nucleus!

Protein Synthesis Is the process of making a protein. DNA has the code (or recipe for the protein) mRNA copies the code down in a process called TRANSCRIPTION. tRNA assembles the protein (which is a chain of amino acids) on the ribosome/rRNA in a process called Translation. Our bodies needs thousands of proteins to keep in functioning properly.

Key Vocabulary: Nucleotide: One deoxyribose together with a phosphate group and a nitrogen base. mRNA: Stays in the nucleus and transcribes the code to make the protein. tRNA: Is in the cytoplasm and carries the amino acids to the rRNA to assemble the protein. rRNA: Assembles the protein on a ribosome.

DNA replication: Coping the DNA exactly for each new cell (Cell Cycle-Mitosis). Transcription: When mRNA copies little sections of the DNA (genes) that code for specific proteins (in the nucleus). Translation: When the tRNA brings an amino acid to the ribosome to assemble the protein (in the cytoplasm on a ribosome).